By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Charles Fitz has a taste for black coffee but he understands the market for specialty drinks is much larger than his own preference. The Lyon County native moved to Great Bend more than seven years ago, and now he's ready to start his own mobile coffee business, Avast Ye Java.
"It's pirate slang for 'stop' or 'pay attention,." he said of the name. "It's just a catchy phrase. Grindhead Coffee is a pirate-themed coffee trailer. All the drinks are pirate-theme named. It was just something different and unique."
Grindhead Coffee, based in Chattanooga, Tenn., offers single-origin coffees from the Caribbean. Its website suggests its specialty coffees "arrrrr" shaking up the coffee industry, and Fitz wants to bring those flavors to the Great Bend area.
"We're going to have specialty mochas, lattes, cappuccinos, just regular black coffee, Red Bull energizers, and flavored lemonades," he said.
Fitz attended training and marketing sessions at Grindhead in Nashville to learn more about the drinks. He plans to run Avast Ye Java full-time, so in addition to mobile opportunities like community or corporate events, he also plans to have more permanent daily locations.
Fitz hopes to have Avast Ye Java up and running in Barton County as soon as next week. Anyone interested in more information can call or text Fitz at (620) 282-4948 or message Fitz via his Avast Ye Java Facebook page.